The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:BONT) today announced it will close its Carson’s Fox Valley Furniture Gallery in the Heritage Square Shopping Center in Naperville, Illinois. The Company will not renew its lease, which terminates January 31, 2015. The closing will impact approximately 20 associates at this location.

The Bon-Ton acquired the leasehold interests in the Fox Valley Furniture Gallery as part of its acquisition of the Northern Department Store Group from Saks Incorporated in 2006. The store will close in January 2015; the Company does not expect costs associated with the closing to be material. The closing of the Fox Valley Furniture Gallery has no impact on the operations at the Carson’s department store located in the Fox Valley Center. Additionally, the Company anticipates the partial transfer of sales associated with the Fox Valley Furniture Gallery to its Carson’s Furniture Clearance Center located in Naperville.

Kathryn Bufano, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “The Company continually reviews the performance of its assets; as a result of these reviews, we made the decision to close the Fox Valley Furniture Gallery. We are very grateful for the devoted associates at that store and are committed to providing assistance to them.”

The affected associates in the Fox Valley Furniture Gallery location will be offered the opportunity to interview for available positions at other Carson’s stores or receive career transition benefits, including severance, according to established practices and state employment service support.

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 273 stores, which includes ten furniture galleries and four clearance centers, in 26 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers. The department stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the Company’s website at http://investors.bonton.com.

Certain information included in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend” or other similar expressions, involve important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: risks related to retail businesses generally; a significant and prolonged deterioration of general economic conditions which could negatively impact the Company in a number of ways, including the potential write-down of the current valuation of intangible assets and deferred taxes; risks related to the Company’s proprietary credit card program; potential increases in pension obligations; consumer spending patterns, debt levels, and the availability and cost of consumer credit; additional competition from existing and new competitors; inflation; deflation; changes in the costs of fuel and other energy and transportation costs; weather conditions that could negatively impact sales; uncertainties associated with expanding or remodeling existing stores; the ability to attract and retain qualified management; the dependence upon relationships with vendors and their factors; a data security breach or system failure; the ability to reduce or control SG&A expenses, including initiatives to reduce expenses and improve efficiency; operational disruptions; unsuccessful marketing initiatives; the ability to expand our capacity and efficiency through our new eCommerce fulfillment center; changes in, or the failure to successfully implement, our key strategies, including initiatives to improve our merchandising, marketing and operations; adverse outcomes in litigation; the incurrence of unplanned capital expenditures; the ability to obtain financing for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes; the impact of regulatory requirements including the Health Care Reform Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the inability or limitations on the Company’s ability to favorably adjust the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; and the financial condition of mall operators. Additional factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in these forward-looking statements are discussed in greater detail under Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2013 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.